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“Submittal”: a useless word

“Submittal”: a useless word published on 4 Comments on “Submittal”: a useless word

Why do people use the word "submittal" to denote "a thing that is being submitted?" [I run across the term "submittal" in my work when I see discussions of applications, permits, supporting material and related stuff that organizations are supposed to hand to one another to get approval for things.] "Submission" is a perfectly fine noun for these things.

"Submittal" is a redundant and stupid word.

SUBMIT! SUBMIT SUBMIT SUBMIT!

Incidentally, in my job search, I came across a SUBMIT button for some online application labeled SUBMIT TO WEB SITE or something similar. I felt threatened.

I really like the word "submit." It comes from the Latin, "sub-," meaning "under" and the Latin "mit," meaning "to send." So basically it means "to send under," which is a fascinating literal and figurative connotation for submitting documents or submitting to another person. When I think of this word, I think of submarines diving below the surface, letters sliding under doors and people sinking slowly into genuflection.

I may also be biased toward the word because my greatX8-grandmother was named Submit Allen.

One of my dolls is named Submit. ^_^
 

4 Comments

“Submittal”: a useless word

I prefer the longer “submission,” too.

Interesting choice for a name though. Submit. Makes me think of Puritan wish-names like Patience and Virtue and Charity. Like please make my kid embody this quality. Shrug. Wonder if that ever worked?

D7ana

its funny you bring this up…
there’s a TON of posters around my college asking for art submissions and there’s one that stand out in my mind. It had a big picture of an aggressive-looking doberman in a muzzle with SUBMIT written really large above it.
its pretty much one of my favorite posters I’ve ever seen around school.

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